Club Lokomotiv Nikola Nanov won the title in the women’s water polo state championship for the first time. Thus, the team, led by Vasil Nanov and Andrey Sushkov, broke the six-year hegemony in women’s water polo of Botev 2000 from Vratsa, after Slavia won the gold medal in the women’s category in 2013. The trophy is the first for Lokomotiv NN in the women’s category at all. And the title is under No. 36 in the club’s showcase since 2005.
The capital’s women rejoiced at the end of the second final tournament, the matches of which were played at the Burgas “Flora” swimming pool on June 27 and 28, 2020. Lokomotiv NN won the decisive match against Botev 2000 (t. Venetka Nacheva) 13-9 (5-1, 1-2, 2-1, 5-6). Ivet Divitrova scored six goals for the winners in the match, and Mihaela Naneva scored four. Ana-Maria Kyumurdzhieva scored two goals, and Tanya Valcheva added one. The new champions led 5-1 at the end of the first quarter, but 3 minutes before the end, the attack of the Vratsa team reduced the difference to only 1 goal (10-9). After that, however, the Lokomotiv NN girls scored 3 goals to 1 of their rivals, to make the final score 13-9.
After the first tournament, played before the epidemic, Lokomotiv NN, Botev 2000 and Chernomorets (t. Petar Yonov) exchanged one victory each and now arrived in Burgas with an equal number of points – 3 each. But in the goal difference the advantage was in the team from Vratsa.
At Flora, Lokomotiv NN prevailed over Chernomorets 19-8, and then Botev 2000 defeated the Burgas team 18-8. Thus, the last match practically became a final, in which a draw was enough for the Vratsa team to lift the title. But this time their rivals from Lokomotiv NN were simply better.
Final standings:
Lokomotiv NN – 9 points, Botev 2000 – 6 points, Chernomorets – 3 points.
The new champions of Bulgaria: goalkeepers – Elena Stefanova and Radoslava Gincheva, field players – Kristina Nesheva, Bilyana Valcheva, Tanya Valcheva, Kosara Sirishnishka, Anelia Yaneva, Ana-Maria Kyumurdzhieva, Mihaela Naneva, Eva Stoyanova, Ivet Dimitrova.
Photo by Svetozar Dobrichkov
